Update the chat interface.

[g1real]

I've been annoyed at the chat interface for quite some time, now I'm using external programs and services to communicate with my brethren mostly.

But I must say this: Damn this interface is bad.

I know you've said you hated working on UI, and perhaps someone else can implement this in a custom client and see how it works, but basically these features need to be implemented:
- Pressing Enter should open a chat box, in which you can type for area chat.
- Pressing Shift + Enter should open that same chat box, but to parties.
- Pressing Ctrl + Enter should open for sending to village chat.
- Pressing Enter should close an open chatbox and send the message

- All windows should be combined into one, with an indicator [village] [group] etc. showing where the chat came from.
- The window should be unbound from the tab at the bottom, should perhaps have a transparent background so you can see your environment properly and still see the chat.

I don't think this is hard to implement, and for those who feel the keyboard combos are too much of an effort there's always the box where you can select the chat, or potentially a command that allows you to send to a specified channel regardless of what you opened. /p for parties, /v for vendetta village.

9000 hours in mspaint, and yes I'm paranoid and bored


I myself am thinking of the Ragnarok Online or World of Warcraft interfaces, or any other standard MMO chat interface.

I would type more, but I think the explanation speaks for itself, the interface is very static and very sluggish to use, having to click everytime and then being locked in chat until you click outside of it again is very... bad.

[DatOneGuy]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8616&p=96012

[g1real]

Exactly.

So why isn't this implemented yet. It's a very very annoying problem.

[DatOneGuy]

Because you can do this yourself through a custom client. The fact that most of us don't know how, those that do aren't doing much to help, etc is the problem.

This is true of many things, but especially of the UI. Jackard's been working on his UI again I believe, would love to see that in play,looked awesome last pic I saw.

Smoke's client has a custom UI to some extent. Arksu's started with a bigger map and larger UI that way.

[g1real]

This shouldn't be relied upon by the external individual free-time custom client developers, this should be done by the guy who actually build the client. You know, that codemonkey, the programslave, the logic writer. I'm actually making a demand here for a change, I can't just sit and hope someone releases something like this in the next unknown few years.

[AnnaC]

I like the wheel and interface myself. My main complaint with the chat is the eyestraining colors for party chat, which has been discussed before.

[g1real]

I'll make a donation if you implement this.